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The Best 2013 Album Reissues

9/26/2013

What's old is new again: The best 2013 album reissues

By David Chiu / CBS News / September 24, 2013, 11:53 AM

The last couple of months have seen the release of many notable reissues from some of music's most beloved and popular acts -- whether it's in the genre soul (Sly and the Family Stone), blues (Fleetwood Mac), folk rock (The Band) or '90s pop (Sarah McLachlan). And that's just for starters as the fall promises even more high-profile archival material by acts including the Fab Four and grunge rockers Nirvana. Here's a sampling of what's out now and what's to come in the months ahead.

ALREADY OUT

The Band's Live at the Academy of Music / Universal

The Band"Live at the Academy of Music 1971"Capitol/UME

An expanded version of the group's 1972 live album, "Rock of Ages," "Live at the Academy of Music 1971" is a 4 CD/1 DVD document of music from The Band's four concerts in New York City during the last week of 1971. The music from those shows make a greatest hits of some of the Band's work at that point on this set especially from its first two great albums "Music from Big Pink" and "The Band." A major highlight of this box is Bob Dylan, who makes a special appearance on several tracks form the Dec. 31, 1971 show. Two of the other CDs feature previously unreleased soundboard mixes from that New Year's Eve performance. In addition to the music presented in 5.1. surround sound, the DVD also contains two filmed performances of "The Medicine Show" and "King Harvest" that finally see the light.

The Beach Boys' music has been compiled many times over the years, but this latest 6-CD set -- coinciding with the band's recent 50th anniversary celebration -- might top all those previous hits collections. In addition to featuring nearly all of the band's iconic hits from mono version of "Surfin'" to last year's "That's Why God Made the Radio," "Made in California" also contains more than 60 never-before-released tracks, live performances and demo recordings. Packaged like a high school yearbook, "Made in California" is the ultimate Beach Boys collection. It might be difficult to find another hits collection to surpass this mammoth set.

UPCOMING

Nirvana's In Utero / Nasty Little Man

Nirvana"In Utero" (Deluxe Edition)DGC/UME(Sept. 24)

At the time, "In Utero," first released in 1993, was the long-awaited follow-up to the Aberdeen, Washington-based grunge rock band's breakthrough, "Nevermind." Tragically, it would be Nirvana's final studio album - several months later, singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain committed suicide at the age of 27. Even though it's overshadowed by "Nevermind"'s massive popularity, "In Utero" -- recorded by Steve Albini -- nevertheless stands on its own as a powerful final statement highlighted by some memorable songs such as "Heart Shaped Box, "All Apologies" and "Dumb." To mark "In Utero"'s 20th anniversary, the original album is being released in a deluxe edition format that also contains B-sides, demos and bonus tracks, including a recently-found instrumental track. The super deluxe 3-CD/1 DVD set also contains those aforementioned rarities as well as the band's entire "Live and Loud" 1993 show in Seattle in both CD and DVD formats.

Two years before it became hugely popular in 1985 with the release of "Songs from the Big Chair" (which yielded the No. 1 hits "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Shout"), the British group Tears for Fears released its debut "The Hurting" -- a very powerful record about emotional pain, drawing from the work of primal scream therapist Dr. Arthur Janov. In hindsight, it was a dark and haunting contrast to the shiny, state-of the-art synthpop pop at the time. Still, the album yielded three memorable hit songs: "Change," "Pale Shelter" and the since widely covered "Mad World." In celebration of the album's 30th anniversary, "The Hurting" is now being presented as a 3-CD/DVD compilation that includes B-sides and singles mixes, a filmed live concert performance from 1984 and live recordings from sessions for the BBC.

The Beatles' On Air: Live at the BBC Volume 2 / Universal

The Beatles"On Air: Live at the BBC Volume 2"Capitol/UME(Nov. 11)

It's always an event whenever the Fab Four releases something new from the archives, and this upcoming set is no exception. The sequel to the previous "Live at the BBC" collection from almost 20 years ago, "On Air" contains 63 total tracks of Beatles recordings for the British Broadcasting Corporation between 1963 and 1964 -- 37 of those musical performances are being released for the first time ever. Among them are familiar original classics such as "She Loves You," "Please Please Me," "I Saw Her Standing There" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" -- and performances of songs written by others, including "Twist and Shout," "Roll Over Beethoven" "and Money (That's What I Want)." Augmented by spoken-word bits from each of the members, "On Air" captures the boys at their best in these vintage recordings -- perfectly timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of their first trip to America next year.